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michaelg_gw

Resurrection

michaelg
9 years ago

'Mme Plantier' was the first OGR I planted, a band from Heirloom maybe twenty-five years ago. Planted in fill dirt on a steep slope and irrigated only enough to get through the first year or two, she eventually spread more than 15' wide and looked wonderful with no care except an annual shearing of spent blooms. And she smothered an expanse of unruly bank.

Recently I had a dreadful two-year siege of rose rosette disease. Despite being the biggest shrub in the garden and surrounded closely by neighbors who fell sick in sequence, she withstood it almost to the end. But last summer I found aberrant growth in two different sections of Mme P and faced the daunting task of bagging many bushels of plant material and getting rid of a massive root system in a place that was too steep for me to stand up on.

As I took the plant down, I found that, in addition to the original one, there were four satellite crowns that had been formed by tip-layering or suckering, and at least two were supporting infected growth. I decided to kill the stumps and roots with Roundup, and the larger crowns needed repeat applications. I planned not to replant until 2015, lest infected growth should come up from the roots.

Well, last weekend I was digging out honeysuckle and other mess in the area, and lo!, here was the old madam apparently making a comeback somehow, with four healthy 2' stems coming from a single crown, and no stumps there. But it is not far from the original crown. I'm sure this growth wasn't there last summer, because I inspected the area weekly for a couple of months. It came up this spring despite drought conditions on the bank. There is no sign of herbicide damage or RRD. How do you think this happened? I guess there was a small secondary crown that was independent enough to avoid infection and inconspicuous enough that I didn't poison any remnant stubs.

Comments (29)

  • annesfbay
    9 years ago

    I can't answer your question. Just have to say, that is an awesome story. I love that plant.

    Anne

  • rosefolly
    9 years ago

    MichaelG, this has all the earmarks of a drama. Talk about ups and downs! I do hope that your rose remains free of RRD. What will to survive that rose has.

    Rosefolly

  • boncrow66
    9 years ago

    I love a good survival story! I think I would have cried at having to dig up my old friend and then cry for joy at her comeback.

  • anntn6b
    9 years ago

    We NEVER get all the roots of the big ones. Ever.

    Those pesky voles can sever roots. Or parts of the roots can just be weakened.

    Remember that the way leaf axils have undifferentiated meristemic tissues? So do roots, where the root hairs emerge.

    The fellow who founded the OGR nursery up in New Brunswick Canada (and who doesn't ship to the USA) at one time did all his propagating from cut up slightly woody roots. Who'da thunk it would work so well?

  • true_blue
    9 years ago

    Love the story, Michael. Vive Mme. Plantier!

  • sidos_house
    9 years ago

    Good story, Michael. As always. And perhaps a communication to you from your special rose -- not to give up. I'm sorry for all the losses you experienced but glad you're back on the forum.

  • michaelg
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks, all. Glad you liked the story. I will pass your words of encouragement on to the old lady--now a junior miss once again, but then she has been through that process many times since 1835.

    She was the most recent (can't say the last) RRD case, about a year ago. I have located and removed the nearby sources of infection, so things are looking up. The garden is still half baby plants and vacancies, though.

  • zeffyrose
    9 years ago

    That is a beautiful story-----sorry to hear about your battle with RRD-----it is very depressing to loss a much-loved rose
    Keep up the good work

    Florence

  • roseblush1
    9 years ago

    Michael ...

    One of my favorite quotes from Ralph Moore is "If there is a way, the rose will find it." Sounds like your 'Mme Plantier' found a way to survive against all odds.

    Thank you for sharing such a great success story.

    Smiles,
    Lyn

  • sammy zone 7 Tulsa
    9 years ago

    I also love the story, and am glad you are back. I purchase roses from a nursery that basically sells "own root" roses. Possibly that is how the rose began. I am glad that this happened, and need to hear more about your hill since I also have a hill that I wrestle with.

    Sammy

  • buford
    9 years ago

    Very nice story. I have my first Mme Plantier that I won in a rose raffle, another member propagated it. I actually have 2, I won all 4 of those offered, but gave 2 away. I fell in love with her blooms and even won a blue ribbon with a spray. This fall, after my yard is all dug up, I will plant these somewhere.

    {{gwi:290949}}

    Just be vigilant watching the new rose. I had cut down and dug out my Ballerina 3 years ago and though I had it all. Then, some new growth came up. It was fine for a year and then this spring showed signs of RRD. This time I am sure I got it all.

  • lori_elf z6b MD
    9 years ago

    I'm glad to hear the story what a survivor the Madame is! Sorry to hear of your continuing battle with RRD, but there seems to be a glimmer of hope here.

    I've removed or transplanted roses before only to have some suckers appear seemingly out of nowhere a short distance from where the main root ball was dug up. I love those tough old roses!

  • ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
    9 years ago

    Good for you, Michael. Sometimes I think the roses are tougher than we are.

    I took out The Dark Lady since it was bright red (which I really dislike). A piece of her must have survived and the two flowers she's produced are actually a nicer, darker color, go figure.

    I have two other young roses that popped up out of nowhere. It might be Cels Multiflora which I banished because of persistent blackspot. Keeping my fingers crossed.......

    Ingrid

  • mzstitch
    9 years ago

    My heart breaks for every story I hear of RRD. I can't imagine losing such a beautiful plant you had for so long. I hope she remains healthy for you and spreads quickly to bring beauty back to your slope.

  • Sow_what? Southern California Inland
    9 years ago

    Michaelg, so glad to hear your encouraging news! Continued well-wishes for this rose.

    jannike


  • nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska
    9 years ago

    Wonderful - take that RRD! It's fantastic that this OGR has survived to tell the tale, and it's one to pass along to friends and family as a testament to a true survivor. Thanks for catching us up on the progress.

    Cynthia

  • Michaela (Zone 5b - Iowa)
    9 years ago

    What a wonderful story, happy for you!!

  • twinkletoad
    9 years ago

    That's great, Michaelg! I have a Mrs. BR Cant that seems similarly unstoppable.

  • floridarosez9 Morgan
    9 years ago

    My sympathies, Michael, on the RRD. It's wonderful the Mme. rose from the dead.

  • nikthegreek
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice story Michael. Btw, in my opinion Roundoup is not the way to go to kill roses and stumps and root remnants. Glyphosate requires an active 'green' system that photosynthesizes to be effective and is not particularly effective on tough bushes with a developed woody structure. I would try triclopyr (for example Garlon) if I wanted to kill persistent broadleaved plants.

  • michaelg
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Roundup is effective if painted on fresh-cut cane ends. I had to recut and repaint a few of the larger stubs.

  • nikthegreek
    9 years ago

    Yes it is. However it is not the first choice for tough woody plants. One can easily kill a huge yucca in this way much more easily than a tough bush. The good thing about glyphosate applied in this way is that there is low potential to harm adjacent plants while triclopyr can more easily affect them due to the fact it is readily absorbed by the roots.


  • zeffyrose
    9 years ago

    Beautiful story Michael-----I've lost several of my beautiful New Dawn roses to RRD ----it is ver sad----Happy to hear your rose came back------

  • henry_kuska
    9 years ago

    The following was stated: " The good thing about glyphosate applied in this way is that there is low potential to harm adjacent plants while triclopyr can more easily affect them due to the fact it is readily absorbed by the roots."

    H.Kuska comment. Glyphosate has been shown in controlled published experiments to be released by the roots of treated plants and then absorbed by the roots of neighboring plants.

    http://wyofile.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/2009_Glyphosate_Rhizosphere_Waitingtimes_Bindingformsinsoils_Tesfamariamaetal.pdf

    http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11104-007-9387-1#


  • nikthegreek
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The phrase 'low potential' still applies and is supported by practical field experience with regards to harming adjacent bushes in a garden environment. The comparison between glyphosate and triclopyr is still very valid and has, again, been the practical field experience. Your links, however interesting, contestable or not, do not seem to show otherwise and are out of context of this discussion. In fact their very existence supports indirectly my statement and the wordwide field experience. If we were in a crop growing, seedling nursery, soil contamination or ecology forum this might have been relative and in context but not here and not in this discussion which is about last resort practice for eradicating RRV infected rose bushes. Thanks for your continuing and unrelenting efforts to educate us.

  • henry_kuska
    9 years ago

    The following was stated: "The phrase 'low potential' still applies and is supported by practical field experience with regards to harming adjacent bushes in a garden environment."

    H.Kuska comment: the technique/application under discussion is called "cut stump".

    The Round-Up label that I looked up warns about applying Round-up to cut stumps as root grafts to neighboring plants will spread the herbicide.

    http://www.afpmb.org/sites/default/files/pubs/standardlists/labels/6840-01-108-9578_label_roundup_pro.pdf


    The transfer of Round-Up from a treated rose to neighboring roses has been reported in the science literature.

    http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=751_26

    "To test for the occurrence of root grafting, experiments were conducted using the systemic herbicide Roundup®. Plants that were treated with the herbicide died as expected and approximately 50% of the adjacent, untreated Rosa multiflora ‘Burr’ plants and 10% of the adjacent untreated ‘Dr. Huey’ and ‘Sunflare’ plants showed mild herbicide toxicity symptoms. This could be explained if root grafting had occurred, allowing herbicide to move through the vascular connection between plants. "

    In the full paper the experimental conditions were given.

    The Round-up tests utilized 470 multiflora plants, 148 plants of Dr. Huey, and 98 plants of Sunflare. The multiflora and Dr. Huey were planted approximately 11.8 inches apart (it was not clear to me if they were mixed in the same row or in different rows). The Sunflare plants were planted 3.3 feet apart in rows. Roundup was applied to every other plant. The treated plants all died. About 50% of the multiflora plants showed roundup symptoms. 10 % of the Dr. Huey and 10% of the Sunflare plants showed symptoms.


    I would expect that 3.3 feet apart would not be uncommon in many home rose gardens.


  • henry_kuska
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I had to cut this from the other post to go under their size limit.

    http://extension.oregonstate.edu/douglas/sites/default/files/documents/lf/pub/chcontrlwoodyplnts3e2.pdf

    Root Grafts.

    Sometimes the roots of different plants share vascular tissue through grafting. Root grafting occurs primarily within the same species. but may occur between plants within the same genus. This phenomenon can be of great importance. A herbicide can move (translocate) from a treated tree to an untreated desirable tree, killing or injuring it. Damage to desirable trees as a result of root grafting will occur from use of the following herbicides: amitrole, 2,4-D, dicamba, glyphosate, Imazapyr, metsulfuron, picloram, and triclopyr.

  • odinthor
    9 years ago

    Thanks, Henry! This is very interesting and useful.